Janick Artiola, Ph.D. is a Retired Associate Professor, Researcher, and Extension Water Quality Specialist from the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Arizona.  As a soil scientist/chemist Janick has expertise in water quality, waste management and soil fertility with 36 years of experience working with soils and water quality in semi-desert Southwest.  The presentation will cover the following topics: Biochar composition and characterization, how to make biochar, and how to safely use biochar in gardens ..read more

Joel Johnson and Monica Sanders from Native Seeds/SEARCH will be providing an overview of how their organization grows, saves, and shares arid-adapted crop seeds and works with farmers and gardeners throughout the Southwest to preserve agricultural biodiversity and to share knowledge and seeds. They will also speak about some of their composting methods with an emphasis on making high-fungal compost, which can provide unique benefits to desert soils, using a Johnson-Su composting bioreactor ..read more

Jesus Garcia of Mission Gardens and the Desert Museum.  Learn how Native Americans and modern residents of the Sonoran Desert Region have used their environment to find food, medicine, and tools to live in harmony with the surrounding desert. Your community is more than just its people – it’s the whole ecological tapestry of interwoven lives in their environment. What better way to ponder local ecology than to eat of its riches! Sample native and traditional foods and learn techniques to gather and process them. Experiment with natural fibers and pigments. And come away with a new view ..read more

Emily Rockey – Mission Gardens. Drought tolerance is a highly desirable characteristic of desert dwelling fruit trees, especially in current climate conditions. Tucson’s agricultural heritage museum called ‘Mission Garden’ grows desert adapted and native crops. The presentation will offer details about varieties’ drought tolerance and general hardiness, as well as insight about their roles in the cultural traditions of the region. Finally, key cultivation and maintenance techniques will be discussed with regards to increasing water efficiency and mitigating the impact of extreme environment ..read more

Shota Austin, of Tank’s Green Stuff, will discuss the foundation for healthy soil and how to foster healthy soil in the garden. Topics include but aren’t limited to: soil microbiology, soil health, mulch, pests, agroecology, and composting. He will explore how quality organic materials can be applied to encourage healthy soil and, in turn, healthy and happy gardens ..read more

Introducing the first annual TOG Shop Hop – Saturday, December 9 On December 9, it’s a pre-holiday plant crawl with discounts for TOG members at local garden-related small businesses & info and tours and good times for all! Got a gardener on your shopping list? (Maybe it’s you?) We’ve got you covered! We will be posting a detailed map of all participating vendors and hours next week, but here’s a sneak peek of the Hop Hosts we have lined up for you. All discounts are for TOG members only, but the activities are open to all! Watershed Management Group 10% off in the Welcome Center plus to ..read more

Plant native and near-native plants in and around the vegetable garden to repel or distract garden pests and attract native pollinators to support your garden.  Carianne of Strategic Habitat Enhancements and Jared from Spadefoot Nursery will be sharing great ideas for your garden ..read more

Lorien Tersey from Dreamflower Garden, an urban farmer who gardens in midtown Tucson, presented about growing root vegetables and other underground edibles in our Tucson climate!  It was a great presentation and well attended on-line and in person as well.  Lorien even shared some of her bulbs and starts with us to take home and brought fresh eggs to sell as well!  Each were a big hit!  We hope that you enjoyed the presentation ..read more

The Fall Plant Fair was held on 10/15/22 at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church at Alvernon and 3rd Street. It was great to see and connect with so many people! We had many members attend along with other customers which was outstanding! It ended up being a beautiful day and we had a vast array of offerings including several varieties of plants, soil amendments, irrigation options, crafts and gardening information. We also had a great array of raffle gifts that were donated by vendors and others that were a big hit! We had music for the first time thanks to the Dust Devils 2 band which was a great ..read more

It’s no small feat to successfully vermicompost in our desert heat. Nicci takes us on a quick tour of her in-garden worm bed, introduces us to her red wrigglers, and shares some of the strategies she’s used to keep them alive and thriving in the Tucson summer ..read more